Search results for: university of silesia in All Content

Greek Culture and Language in the History of Central and Eastern Europe (Germany, Poland, Silesia). Woman in Greek Poetry Written by Silesians in the

Greek Culture and Language in the History of Central and Eastern Europe (Germany, Poland, Silesia). Woman in Greek Poetry Written by Silesians in the

Author(s): Beata Maria Gaj / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2013

Keywords: ancient Greek; history of Central and Eastern Europe; Silesian literature in Greek; women’s history at the beginning of modernity

The main idea of the paper is the rarely investigated holistic issue of the literary, historical and cultural influence of ancient Greece on the nations of Central and Eastern Europe from the beginnings of their statehood up until modern times. Special attention is paid to three crucial centuries: 15th, 16th and 17th when Greek was taught in Central Europe; works of this era created in this language by the Germans, the Polish and the Silesians have survived up to the present day as old prints in special collections of many libraries. However, so far not much attention has been paid to them, while some of these works, written especially in Silesia, constitute interesting examples of occasional literature, different from the more common literature found in that region of Europe, New-Latin literature. Special emphasis shall be put particularly on works by Ursinus Velius, who also willingly brought up women’s issues, using Greek language to create and pass on to posterity the ideal of Silesian woman having Venus’s beauty, the goddess of persuasion Peitho – Πείθω’s pro-nunciation, Calliope’s maturity, Themis’s mind and Minerva’s palms. The Silesian humanists published their works in Latin more often than in Polish and German, and it should be taken into consideration that the fluency and literary knowledge of Greek at that time in Europe was, using Polish historian Henryk Barycz's comparison, as prestigious as the study of nuclear physics was in the middle of the 20th century. The presented paper also addresses the historical contacts and re-lations between Greece and the aforementioned part of Europe in modern times, especially after World War II, when a number of Greek people settled in Poland, including Silesia.

New city brand: it’s creation and social reception. Example: “Silesia” Metropolis

Nowa marka miejska: jej kreacja i społeczna recepcja. Przykład Metropolii „Silesia”

Author(s): Aleksandra A. Wycisk / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 29/2012

Keywords: metropolis; city branding; city marketing; territorial marketing, stereotypes; identity

The article presents the most important results of sociological research conducted in 2011 in 14 cities of the “Silesia” Metropolis (Górnooeląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolia “Silesia”). The study formed the basis of a thesis written under the supervision of professor Marek S. Szczepański, defended at the Institute of Sociology at the University of Silesia in Katowice. The thesis won the ministry of regional development award in the competition “Teraz Polska Promocja 2011”. Themain focus of research is an analysis of the social reception of a new urban brand (“Silesia” Metropolis) in less than a year after the introduction of the corporate identity and launching the informative campaign. The study including questions on corporate identity, sympathy towards the new brand is followed by an in-depth analysis of plethora of themes, especially socio-cultural, political and economic background. Presented sociological studies are qualitative (expert interview) and quantitative (survey).

The effects of town twinning in the Lower Silesia voivodeship – a comparison of the situation in small, medium and large towns

The effects of town twinning in the Lower Silesia voivodeship – a comparison of the situation in small, medium and large towns

Author(s): Joanna Kenc / Language(s): English / Issue: 282/2013

Keywords: international cooperation of local governments; town twinning; Lower Silesia

Town twinning cooperation has been an important element of development policy since the formation of Polish democracy. In this article the effects of town twinning in small, medium and large towns of Lower Silesia were analysed. In the conclusion, local governments’ expectations related to receiving help in creating and keeping contacts with municipalities from abroad were presented.

Nation-building as a Communist "Rational Planning Strategy" Subverted by Local Narratives.The Case of Identity Politics in Cieszyn Silesia

Nation-building as a Communist "Rational Planning Strategy" Subverted by Local Narratives.The Case of Identity Politics in Cieszyn Silesia

Author(s): Marian Kempny / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2005

Keywords: identity politics; local narratives; nation-building; "rationality" of modernity projects

Following Zygmunt Bauman’s view, one can claim that communism, or the so-called real socialism, was thoroughly modern in its passionate conviction that a good society can only be carefully designated, rationally managed and thoroughly industrialized. As a result, in an attempt to “out-modernize the modernizers” the rulers of state-socialist countries tended to introduce pseudo-scientific solutions and centrally planned endeavours also in the domain of the identity politics. In this connection, this paper aims to examine the nation-building project grounded in the ideologically-saturated social scientific discourse during the communist past in Poland as contested by local narratives. The case of the community of Cieszyn Silesia will be discussed in the context of its struggles against an illusion of monolithic national culture. The significance of the local knowledge (especially the narratives about the local history) in challenging the official version of national homogeneous culture and strengthening the bonds of the local solidarities and loyalties will be emphasized.

The formation of Racibórz and Opole Duchies. Comments on the problem of the first division of Silesia in the second half od the 12th century.

The formation of Racibórz and Opole Duchies. Comments on the problem of the first division of Silesia in the second half od the 12th century.

Author(s): Jerzy Rajman / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2011

Keywords: The Racibórz Duchy; the Opole Duchy; The Wrocław Duchy; Bolesław the Tall; Mieszko Tanglefoot; Henryk the Bearded; Mieszko the Old; the territorial conflict; Silesia

The article presents arguments questioning the currently accepted interpretation of the Silesian Chronicle that it was Mieszko Tanglefoot that attacked Bolesław the Tall, his older brother, in 1172. In my opinion, Mieszko possessed his own duchy with the capital in Racibórz between 1166 and 1170, and the person who removed Bolesław the Tall from Wrocław was Mieszko the Old. Such a conviction is in accordance with contemporary German sources. The controversy between Mieszko Tanglefoot and his older brother dates back to 1177. However, the insufficuency of the source basis does not allow one to define the exact date of the ascription of the Opole Duchy to Jarosław, the eldest son of Bolesław the Tall. In this article, I make an attempt at indicating the weak points in the hypothesis proposed by J. Bieniak, who dates the formation of this duchy to 1175. I assume that Jarosław only took action against his father as late as in 1177. What can be established, however, is the fact that before Jarosław became the bishop in Wrocław in 1109 he had already been the Duke of Opole, which one can assume on the basis of the authentic document issued by Henryk the Bearded (broadly discussed in the article). In contrast to J Bieniak, who questions the fact that Mieszko and Henryk were in the state of war, I think that Mieszko received the record of the Opole territory from his brother Bolesław only after his death. In the first half of 1202, it was Henryk the Bearded who would force him to include Opole into his realm, but Mieszko ousted him from Opole and threatened his rule in Wrocław. The conflict ended in 1202 thanks to the intervention of Pope Innocent III. The Pope confirmed Mieszko's legal rights to "Castles and lands" in the bull from 1202, under the general statement of which the lands in question are undoubtedly the Polish lands. In return, prince Mieszko had to promise that he would not oust Henryk from his homeland, that is, the Wrocław Duchy.

Rafał RIEDEL (ed.) Śląsk – 10 lat członkostwa w Unii Europejskiej [Silesia – 10 Years of EU Membership]

Rafał RIEDEL (ed.) Śląsk – 10 lat członkostwa w Unii Europejskiej [Silesia – 10 Years of EU Membership]

Author(s): Miroslav Stanik / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2015

Keywords: review;

A book review: Rafał RIEDEL (ed.) Śląsk – 10 lat członkostwa w Unii Europejskiej

Impact of Changes in the Employment Structure on Labour Productivity in the Subregions of Lower Silesia and Greater Poland

Impact of Changes in the Employment Structure on Labour Productivity in the Subregions of Lower Silesia and Greater Poland

Author(s): Agnieszka Mrozińska / Language(s): English / Issue: 3 (43)/2017

The paper discusses changes in the employment structure as a measure of evaluating the ability of a territorial unit to adapt to changes dictated by its close and distant surrounding. In the article, we also address the relation between the ability to change and labour productivity in a given territorial unit. The aim of the paper is to identify, assess and compare processes of the transformation of employment structures, and to analyse the influence of these processes on workforce productivity in the subregions of Lower Silesia and Greater Poland voivodeships. We discuss changes in the employment structure from 2010 to 2014 according to section groups. We also examine the intensity, pace and monotonicity of structure transformations and compare these results against the measure of labour productivity.

Researchers of Culture Confronted with the “Treasures of Culinary Heritage” in Upper Silesia as Described in the Most Recent Cookbooks

Researchers of Culture Confronted with the “Treasures of Culinary Heritage” in Upper Silesia as Described in the Most Recent Cookbooks

Author(s): Teresa Smolińska / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2015

Keywords: food; culinary handbooks; Upper Silesia; Opole Silesia

Considering that in the last few years culinary matters have become afashionable topic, the author is making a preliminary attempt at assessing manymyths and authoritative opinions related to it. With respect to this aim, she hasreviewed utilitarian literature, to which culinary handbooks certainly belong (“Con�cerning the studies of comestibles in culture”). In this context, she has singledout cookery books pertaining to only one region, Upper Silesia. This region has acomplicated history, being an ethnic borderland, where after the 2nd World War, thelocal population of Silesians ac�quired new neighbours�: repatriates from the �East�ern Borderlands annexed by the Soviet Union, settlers from central and southernPoland, as well as former emigrants coming back from the West (“‘The treasuresof culinary heritage’ in cookery books from Upper Silesia”). The author discussesseveral Silesian cookery books which focus only on the specificity of traditionalSilesian cuisine, the Silesians’ curious conservatism and attachment to theirregional tastes and culinary customs, their preference for some products anddislike of other ones. From the well-provided shelf of Silesian cookery books, shehas singled out two recently published, unusual culinary handbooks by the Rev.Father Prof. Andrzej Hanich (Opolszczyzna w wielu smakach. Skarby dziedzictwakulinarnego. 2200 wypróbowanych i polecanych przepisów na przysmaki kuchnidomowej, Opole 2012; Smaki polskie i opolskie. Skarby dziedzictwa kulinarnego.2500 wypróbowanych i polecanych przepisów na przysmaki kuchni domowej,Opole 2014), which have become a culinary bestseller in Upper Silesia. The authorperceives these books as an interesting and unusual example of a monothematic“collective lecture” pertaining to the multi-cultural character of Opole Silesia, thenoticeable foreign influences and the globalisation of culinaries. In her opinion,these books constitute a very rich set of materials pertaining to the present-dayculture of consumption in Poland, with a discernible emphasis on Opole Silesia.

Cooperation between Local Authorities and Economic Entities in Polish Economic Zones – Evidence from Lower Silesia in Poland

Cooperation between Local Authorities and Economic Entities in Polish Economic Zones – Evidence from Lower Silesia in Poland

Author(s): Piotr Hajduga,Tomasz Pilewicz,Anna Mempel-Śnieżyk / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2018

Keywords: special economic zone; networks of cooperation; local authorities; Poland;

The article presents the phenomenon of special economic zones (SEZs) in Poland through characteristics of its legal, organizational and economic aspects. The detailed study of benefits and expectations from local authorities and managing authority of SEZs in Lower Silesia has been presented. The aim of this paper is to explain the phenomenon and the importance of cooperation between the enterprises located in special economic zones (SEZs) and also, between enterprises and local authorities. The authors hypothesize that participation in SEZs activities results in establishing cooperation among other entities within and beyond SEZs. For this paper, we designed and conducted a survey among economic entities seated in SEZs of Lower Silesia region. A simple random sampling approach was used with a representative number of economic entities’ subpopulations proportionally reflecting the size of enterprises (small, medium, large) in the studied population. The interview questionnaire comprises a set of 24 questions referring to various aspects in the functioning of enterprises in SEZs. The conducted research have found that although research entities indicated legal obstacles, confusing regulations, shortage of personnel, or limited space for enterprise development in SEZs in Lower Silesia they qualified relationships with local authorities as very favourable and rather favourable. Despite the identified unfavourable conditions for conducting business the researched entities invested in new technologies, services and further expansion during their activity in SEZs. The researched entities also recognized the crucial role of the authority formally managing SEZs and their satisfaction resulting from relationships with local authorities.

„L'économie du bon plaisir”. The Impact of Statism on the Organization of Administrative and Economic Life of Silesia during the Habsburg Era (1526-1740)

„L'économie du bon plaisir”. The Impact of Statism on the Organization of Administrative and Economic Life of Silesia during the Habsburg Era (1526-1740)

Author(s): Jarosław Kuczer / Language(s): English / Issue: 7_EN/2017

Keywords: statism; Silesia; administration; economics; Holy Roman Empire of German Nation; arystocracy

In many human sciences, especially political science and economics (and cultural research) there exist many analyses of the impact of statism (etatism) on the functioning of societies. The aim of this article is to show and highlight contemporary phenomena of this doctrine, through inquiry into their origins and character, treated – especially by Austrian and British researchers – as unchangeable. Why Silesia? Why 1526-1740? Several constants existed there. Firstly, it was a province of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, treated in the studies of the history of the rights as state par excellence. Secondly, in the abovementioned period, it was the farthest from, among others, Europe's ekstern most economic structure which underwent statist policies modeled on French achievements. Thirdly, Silesia was the last in Europe, and so it was seen as „the most perfect”, in practice it was a well worked out and well distorted, form. The article analyzes the issues of the organization and development of central public administration structures and their impact on economic statism, according to the scheme: 1. Ideological basis of statism in Silesia; 2. Implementation through the creation of central Office; 3. The taking of the highest economic offices by the Emperor’s adherents; 4. Giving the greatest land fortunes to people involved in the politics of Vienna Court; 5. News from the fiscal policy agenda; 6. Economic basis of the creation a new social order/hierarchy. Such a system is related to the value of chronological changes. When conducting an explanation, it proved to be the best to use synchronic, genetic, philological, evolutionary and sociological methods and elements of comparative, progressive and retrogressive and argumentum ex silentio methods as well.

Examining Fate: The Debate over Children’s Identity in the Border Areas of Interwar Eastern Upper Silesia

Examining Fate: The Debate over Children’s Identity in the Border Areas of Interwar Eastern Upper Silesia

Author(s): Anna Novikov / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2019

Keywords: World War I; League of Nations; Poland; Upper Silesia; education; nation-building

This article deals with two little-known disputes over the national identity of a population in the interwar border area of Eastern Upper Silesia. This area was transferred from Germany to Poland after World War I as a result of a plebiscite. Its local population, the Silesians, did not consider themselves entirely German or Polish, but still underwent a process of Polonization. The plebiscite took place in Upper Silesia in 1921, prompting international controversy and internal debate within the Polish state about how to define the nationality of the Silesians in the context of their internationally protected rights as a “minority.” As this article shows, the Silesians were utilized by Central and Western European politicians as objects of international diplomacy and by the Polish authorities to advance their internal policies. The story of “Maurer’s children” and Silesian children born out of wedlock illustrates the reaction of the Silesian population to the interwar politics of nationalization. These cases attracted international attention from 1926 to 1928 and brought questions of national minorities, bilingual children, and self-definition of nationality vis-à-vis the state’s requirements to the level of international debate.

Toys within the collections of selected Cieszyn Silesia museums as a source of knowledge of the former ludic culture of the youngest inhabitants of the region

Toys within the collections of selected Cieszyn Silesia museums as a source of knowledge of the former ludic culture of the youngest inhabitants of the region

Author(s): Magdalena Szalbot / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2019

Keywords: toy; play; anthropology of things; museum; culture of region;

The aim of the article is to familiarize the readers with the collections of toys gathered in selected museums of Cieszyn Silesia and to consider their role in the cognition of the former forms of entertainment of the youngest inhabitants of this region. The study is based on visits and queries conducted from May to September 2018 in the ethnography departments of three institutions: The Museum of Cieszyn Silesia in Cieszyn, the Jan Jarocki Museum in Ustroń and Muzeum Těšínska in Český Těšín, as well as interviews with museum personnel employed by these institutions. The article does not include detailed characteristics of the entire inventory of toys in any of these facilities. The purpose is to signal the problems that must be considered by any researcher attempting to draw inferences on the topic of the former ludic culture of children in a given region, on the basis of sources available in museums.

The Locations of Housing Investments in Lower Silesia Province Versus Changes in Spatial Disproportions in the Social and Economic Development of the Region

The Locations of Housing Investments in Lower Silesia Province Versus Changes in Spatial Disproportions in the Social and Economic Development of the Region

Author(s): Alicja Zakrzewska-Półtorak / Language(s): English / Issue: 34/2019

Keywords: housing investments; city/town; suburban area; population; socioeconomic development;

The purpose of the paper is to present the locations of housing investments in Lower Silesia Province, with a special focus on cities/towns and suburban areas, and also to evaluate their potential impact on reducing spatial disproportions in the region’s development. The study covers the territory of Lower Silesia Province, especially cities/towns which are leading with regard to housing investments locations, selected by the number of dwellings completed. The research period is 2011-2017. The paper presents the relations and feedbacks between a housing investment location and the social and economic development and growth.

Antonio Chemotti, The Hymnbook of Valentin Triller (Wroclaw 1555). Musical Past and Regionalism in Early Modern Silesia, Warsaw 2020

Antonio Chemotti, The Hymnbook of Valentin Triller (Wroclaw 1555). Musical Past and Regionalism in Early Modern Silesia, Warsaw 2020

Author(s): Erika Supria Honisch / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2021

Keywords: Central-European music; sixteenth-century music

Book Review of: Antonio Chemotti, The Hymnbook of Valentin Triller (Wroclaw 1555). Musical Past and Regionalism in Early Modern Silesia, Warsaw 2020

Fr. Karl Urban (1864-1923) - Researcher of the History of Upper Silesia - Research Project Idea and Possibilities of its Implementation

Fr. Karl Urban (1864-1923) - Researcher of the History of Upper Silesia - Research Project Idea and Possibilities of its Implementation

Author(s): Piotr Górecki / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2021

Keywords: Fr. Karl Urban; archival research; history of the Catholic Church in Upper Silesia; history of Upper Silesia;

The aim of the article is to present the person and scientific achievements of Fr. Karl Urban (1864-1923), in the years 1899-1923 a priest at Sadów in the Lubliniec deanery. He himself - being the son of Carl Urban (1836-1922), a teacher in Upper Silesian schools, the author of a few books combining the subjects of pedagogy and history - he was engaged in scientific activity almost all his life. He published some of his research works in the Silesian scientific journal: „Oberschlesische Heimat. Zeitschrift des Oberschlesischen Geschichtsvereins”, and he was actively participating in the activities of the Upper Silesian Historical Society founded in 1904. The members of that society focused their work mainly on the history of local communities, creating accounts contributing to the synthetic history of Upper Silesia. The preliminary archival query found the first articles of Fr. Urban, concerning the history of the lands of Lubliniec and Koszęcin. The author shares the preliminary results of his research, the aim of which is to publish a book about this forgotten researcher of local history on the hundredth anniversary of his death.

St. Hedwig of Silesia: The Ducal Ideal of a Wife in Light of 15th-century “Sermones de sancta Hedwigis”

St. Hedwig of Silesia: The Ducal Ideal of a Wife in Light of 15th-century “Sermones de sancta Hedwigis”

Author(s): Ewelina Kaczor / Language(s): English / Issue: 41(46)/2022

Keywords: medieval marriage; St. Hedwig of Silesia; medieval preaching;

A collection of 15th-century Latin sermons for the day of St. Hedwig of Silesia (“Sermones de s. Hedwigis”) constitutes the source material for an analysis of matrimonial role models and the ideal of a wife (uxor) in medieval culture. The collection includes 84 sermons about St. Hedwig, preserved in 45 codes of Silesian provenance. The corpus of sermons on St. Hedwig is supplemented by 61 edited versions of “Vita sanctae Hedvigis” written in 47 manuscripts. The present article includes an analysis of St. Hedwig as a married woman, the ideal of a pious wife avoiding the pleasures of the flesh and observing moral norms in marriage, above all in sexual relations.

Johannsdorf: a Forgotten Forced Labor Camp For Jews in Western Upper Silesia, 1940–1943

Johannsdorf: a Forgotten Forced Labor Camp For Jews in Western Upper Silesia, 1940–1943

Author(s): Hermann F. Weiss / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

Keywords: Silesia; Jewish forced labor; Reichsautobahn camps Silesia; Organisation Schmelt camps; Johannsdorf (Upper Silesia)

Based on sources from several countries, this paper presents a microhistory of the camp in Johannsdorf (Upper Silesia) and also advances knowledge of the two systems of forced labor camps for Jews in Silesia and adjoining areas. From October 1940 to the summer of 1942, Johannsdorf was among the 25 Reichsautobahnlager run by the Reichsautobahn office in Breslau. For a year afterwards, it was one of approx. 170 camps administrated by Organisation Schmelt. Aspects discussed include transports, work, access to food, helpers, medical care, camp hierarchies, female inmates, and mortality.

Reception of John Paul II’s Encyclical „Ut unum sint” in Cieszyn Silesia

Reception of John Paul II’s Encyclical „Ut unum sint” in Cieszyn Silesia

Author(s): Józef Budniak / Language(s): English / Issue: 10/2022

Keywords: ecumenism; Cieszyn Silesia; encyclical „Ut unum sint”; history; reception

There are places where the ecumenical movement is born and grows out of the very essence of social and cultural reality. Cieszyn Silesia belongs to one of such places. Situated on the meeting point of various nationalities, cultures, and Churches, it constitutes a border region in a literal and symbolic sense. This region has become the home for the largest population of the Lutherans in Poland. The ecumenical movement which has been born and developed here is a necessary and inevitable consequence of such coexistence of Churches — the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran. Both Churches have become symbols of ecumenical life based on faith, tolerance, experience and respect. Nowadays all of these factors create a modern ecumenism. Ecumenism in Cieszyn Silesia has a very long and rich history. The phenomenon of Churches’ coexistence appeared almost five centuries ago. It means that the ecumenical movement had existed here long before the Catholic Church promulgated the encyclical Ut unum sint. On the basis of the examples of the ecumenical relationships mentioned in the article, it can be said that the look of the “wise” today at its “yesterday” helps to build a better “tomorrow”. Therefore it can be said that on the basis of a well-lived present, firmly rooted in history, rises a favourable hope for the future of the Church. Presenting the reception of John Paul’s II Ut unum sint among the multi-denominational population of Cieszyn Silesia one could quote Reverend Professor Wacław Hryniewicz, one of the most remarkable Polish ecumenists: “An authentic reception can be achieved only when the partners differ from each other because diversity enables the true relation of giving and taking.”

Participation of youth from Lesser Poland and Cieszyn Silesia in the fight for the Cieszyn Region and in Silesian Uprisings in the years 1919–1921

Participation of youth from Lesser Poland and Cieszyn Silesia in the fight for the Cieszyn Region and in Silesian Uprisings in the years 1919–1921

Author(s): Janusz Wojtycza / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2022

Keywords: Galicia; Cieszyn Silesia; Upper Silesia; Silesian uprisings

The article describes the participation of youth from Lesser Poland and Cieszyn Silesia in the fight for the Cieszyn Region and in Silesian Uprisings in the years 1919–1921. Already in November 1918, Polish youth joined Polish military formations in Cieszyn Silesia, and then in January 1919 they took part in the fights with the Czechs for these lands. Later, together with young people from other regions of Lesser Poland, they took part in the fight for Lviv. Subsequent Silesian uprisings were supported by young inhabitants of the whole of Lesser Poland, both through participation in the propaganda campaign, as well as in bloody fights and guard duty at the border. A number of them died, and their heroic deeds are evidenced by the battle decorations awarded to them. Faithful to the idea of fighting for independence, they took part in taking over power in the Polish lands, and then joined the ranks of defenders of these lands in large numbers and contributed to shaping the borders of the Second Polish Republic.

Borderland Anxieties: Brexit, Upper Silesia and Irish Partitions in Recent Novels by Glenn Patterson and Szczepan Twardoch

Borderland Anxieties: Brexit, Upper Silesia and Irish Partitions in Recent Novels by Glenn Patterson and Szczepan Twardoch

Author(s): Leszek Drong / Language(s): English / Issue: 30/2021

Keywords: minor literature; postnationalism; borders; Northern Ireland; Upper Silesia; Brexit

Northern Ireland owes its existence to a partition of Ireland that took place a century ago. The knottiest problems involved in the UK’s recent divorce with the European Union can be traced back not only to the Belfast Agreement of 1998 but also to the establishment of a new border, and a new borderland, in the island of Ireland in 1922. The same year (1922) saw the coming into effect of a partition of Upper Silesia, which was triggered by the events and political decisions taken in 1921. The primary focus of this essay is on literary representations of crises and anxieties connected with the transformations of the geopolitical statuses of the two provinces (i.e. Northern Ireland and Upper Silesia) and selected historical, political and cultural parallels between them. Those anxieties are exemplified and illustrated by the leading characters of Glenn Patterson’s Where Are We Now? (2020) and Szczepan Twardoch’s Pokora (2020). Both novels yield to provincial readings that explore basic aporias of uprootedness, displacement, deterritorialization and identity crises, collectively identified here as borderland anxieties. In consequence, transnational and postnational perspectives that emerge from Patterson’s and Twardoch’s works count as proactive responses, encoded in literary texts, to current geopolitical crises in Europe.